I want to like this game more but there are a number of small issues that add up to a frustrating experience. The tutorials are incomplete and miss some critical information. So does the manual but it's not the same information. For example, I only learned which keys select the previous or next targets by looking at the game control settings. Normally the first few missions of a game like this should introduce you to the gameplay (or have a tutorial that does) but here the game just drops you in it with very little explination about how to play. I also tried using a gamecontroller which "sort of" works. Some of the onscreen hints change and a few of the controls respond, but there are critical controls such as the context menu which didn't seem to have a button mapped to the controller. There was no mention of using a controller in the manual or game configuration screens. I also encountered problems where the mouse controls locked up or stopped responding until I did something crazy like change the camera mode or pause and unpause the game. I have dual monitors and played on one set to full screen. However, during intense battles it's too easy to accidentally click on the other monitor which doesn't pause the game but does mess up the windowing, where the mouse cursor points to, and how the controls respond. On the plus side, the concept is good, the story is engaging enough and the battles feel big and exciting. The save games are plain text so it was easy for me to "adjust" my stats. (Yes I like to cheat on single-player games. In this case I needed it to overcome some of the UI problems.) All in all, this feels like 80% of a great game that's sadly marred by a host of minor bugs.
I really enjoy the innocence and overall theme of this game. The world feels quite large and emmersive. There is always something to do and many options. Although the game centers around crafting, you can fish, or mine as a primary occupation instead. There is a fairly deep set of social interactions with the 50+ NPCs. The game also puts very little time pressure on the player and almost every festival or activity is optional. In 100+ hours that I've played the game, I've only found one (minor) outright bug and only a small handful of features that I would like the developers to tweak. My only other observation is that there seems to be a bit of confusion about which release version this is. Some online sources suggest that the Steam release is about two minor versions ahead. However, all of the newest features that I can verify appear to be in the release. If there is a newer version, it's supposed to include more side-quests from some of the NPCs which is something I would enjoy.
I purchased this game based on the reviews and fond memories of similar styles of gameplay from my childhood. I loved the idea of uncovering what happened through investigation. On those merits, the game delivers. However, the success of a game like this will be on whether you, the player, enjoy the story and it's difficult to make that determination without a number of spoilers. (I won't give any here.) The one thing that I would have liked to know in advance is the game's rating. Even after searching a number of sites, including the game's home page and GOG, I'm still not sure. (We have a firm, no rated M games in our household.) Based on my in-game experient I'm guessing it's at least T for languange and mature themes but it may be M. However, I didn't witness any overt nudity or graphic violence. The story is fairly dark as the events you uncover go from neutral to bad to worse but the acting is first rate and the characters and the events live out are haunting. This makes it an amazing game for some but not everyone.
